Friday, 31 August 2012

Najib and co just refuse to learn. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is discovering, much to his dismay, that he has no remarkable prowess for predicting the future, as contrary to his claims, there was a big turnout.

An aptly sarcastic quote from Hishamuddin Rais, one of the organisers of Janji Demokrasi:

“I really appreciate the Home Affairs Minister (Hishammuddin Hussein), who has the ability to become a bomoh and Pak Nujum (witchdoctor and fortune teller), like a seer who can see the future.

“That is good. That is really good. For us, it not a question of how big or how small the crowd will be. It is people coming that night wearing yellow,” Hishamuddin Rais said.

The number is somewhat smaller at 10,000 (though some witnesses have placed it at 50,000) this time, but it's probably expected with the long weekend (and the rain).

Monday, 27 August 2012

In the past, it was deemed unpatriotic for me to say that Merdeka meant nothing to me.

For the uninitiated, 'Merdeka' means 'Independence' and refers to the day when the British handed over rule of Malaya to UMNO, or more specifically Tunku Abdul Rahman.

I have nothing against Tunku Abdul Rahman, and I personally believe that his western ways were instrumental in influencing the British to give up control of Malaya.

Hence, every Merdeka Day, we are shown video clips of him declaring 'Merdeka' a number of times at the grand stadium.

It is a poignant moment -- don't get me wrong.

And for those who were alive (I certainly wasn't), it meant the end of British plunder and pillage of our rubber, tin and other natural resources.

That is probably meant to be significant, but the unfortunate truth is that it only meant the end of British rule and the beginning of UMNO plunder and pillage.

And for the past 55 years, we have been bled of what rightfully belongs to us.

By this, I don't just mean our natural resources like Oil & Gas, timber etc, but our right to harmony and equality.

Every race feels slighted and taken advantage of. The Malays believe the Chinese and Indians have cheated them of their land and economic standing.

The Chinese and Indians believe the Malays are unfair in the way they are given racial privileges.

The Indians, especially the rural and urban poor prefer to live under their own shell and shy away from official requirements like registering births and applying for Identification Cards (IC).

Without these, they have been denied proper education and jobs, leaving them on an unequal footing with the rest of the Malaysians.

And as for the Sabahans and Sarawakians -- they have been denied an equal status with the rest of us. They are collectively the two richest states in terms of natural resources and yet, in terms of living conditions, they are the poorest.

One issue that comes to light is the Native Customary Rights.

The Penan have been systematically sidelined -- having their land taken away from them for economical pursuits such as logging and mining.

As they are a minority and have no defenders (apart from the Bruno Manser Fund) to protect their rights, the BN-UMNO government (or to be more specific, their own Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud) bull-dozes into their lives and tears them apart.

As for the other tribes, they haven't had a better deal -- from either the UMNO government or even Pakatan Rakyat, unfortunately.

Baru Bian who contested in Ba'kelalan during the last state elections and Nicholas Bawin in Batang Ai are strong leaders in their own right. They are credible Dayak leaders from earlier parties like SNAP and PBDS.

However, instead of accepting them as allies, PKR only gave them the platform to contest after SNAP and PBDS were “deregistered” by the BN-controlled Registrar of Societies.

When it comes to Sarawak (or East Malaysia for that matter), who would know the people, issues and political climate better than the East Malaysians themselves?

But in the last state elections, these credible East Malaysian leaders were sidelined by shoddy West Malaysian candidates, with PKR expecting the voters to accept these foreign candidates with open arms just because they are the Opposition!

Have they gone down to ground level (and I'm talking about long before the state elections) to gauge what the real issues of the voters are? Do they understand the mind of the East Malaysian?

To begin with, do we accept them as equals, given that we are "celebrating 55 years of independence" when we have had only 49 years of being 'Malaysia'?

This Merdeka eve will be marked by street demonstrations, calling for free and fair elections. It is about Janji Demokrasi -- the promise of democracy that has been sidelined by the UMNO government.

If you ask me, this is what will make Merdeka day significant and meaningful, because it is all about calling for true freedom and independence from the evil warlords of UMNO.

Friday, 17 August 2012

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has made an admirable habit of enraging western governments over the last few years, particularly the United States.

Most notably, his release of classified diplomatic documents in 2010 proved ruthlessly embarrassing, shining a spotlight on the absurd, petty little world of international relations.

Ever since, the US government has done everything it can to stop him. Short of assassination. They shut down his website, but mirror sites instantly popped up. They sought legal action, but their efforts have been impeded by the bureaucratic deftness of his attorneys. They froze his bank accounts... but donations have poured in from all over the world.

Along the way, Uncle Sam co-opted a number of allied nations to set aside their principles for the sake of US interests-- Switzerland rolled over immediately and shuttered Assange's bank accounts.

Australia (his home country) has remained conspicuously silent on the matter, raising not a single word of protest in his defense. One high ranking Aussie politician even publicly suggested that Assange should be killed.

Sweden has happily played along, trumping up dubious allegations about Assange and issuing an international arrest warrant.

And now there's the UK, where Assange has been based. The British government located and arrested him, yet after his legal team was able to secure bail and delay extradition, Assange sought refuge at the Ecuadoran embassy in London. He's been living there for two months in violation of his bail.

Assange knows that, if extradited to Sweden, he'll be shipped off to face the death penalty in the US... so the stakes are clearly high. He even petitioned Ecuador's president Rafael Correa for political asylum, and just hours ago, Correa agreed.

Swarms of British police have now descended on the Ecuadoran embassy in London. This, on the heels of the British Foreign Ministry issuing a warning letter to Ecuador's government threatening to "take actions in order to arrest Mr. Assange in the current premises of the [Ecuadoran] embassy."

Such a move would be appalling, to say the least.

Embassies are hallowed sovereign ground, not to be trespassed. Ever. This is the most sacrosanct, fundamental, inviolable principle of international relations, explicitly codified in both the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963).

Article 27 of the latter, for example, states that "the receiving State [the UK in this case] shall, even in case of armed conflict, respect and protect the consular premises, together with the property of the consular post and the consular archives."

International law seems pretty obvious here. Yet British police stand ready to storm the embassy, arrest Assange, and tear down decades of diplomatic precedent.

In a way this is almost poetic. Assange is the man who exposed western diplomacy for the fraud that it is. That he would be sent to his death by an egregious violation of its most fundamental principle seems strangely appropriate.

Regardless, the whole affair is perhaps the foulest example that western governments will ignore their own laws, or selectively apply them, whenever they see fit.

Legal precedent means nothing. Rule of law means nothing. Free speech means nothing. Their own treaties mean nothing. It's unbelievable. Anyone in the west who honestly thinks he's still living in a free society is either a fool or completely out of touch.

If that seems too radical an idea, consider that ECUADOR is now the only nation which stands to defend freedom and human rights against an assault from the United States, the United Kingdom, and their spineless allies.

The west has just become a giant banana republic. Have you hit your breaking point yet? If not now... when?

Thursday, 16 August 2012

It didn't always start off as a Cathedral though. According to some sources, it is almost two thousand years old and started off as a Druid temple before it went on to become a Roman (surprise, surprise?) temple.

At this point, my mate, Tim, is probably having a smug look on his face, since he loves to point out the idolatry associated with this magnitude of organised religion.

Anyway, it became a monastery when one of the Earls decided he needed one in his administrative centre. So it was probably more about administration than spirituality.

It's a lovely though foreboding structure, I must say.

But if you look past the actual building to the grounds, the bright flowers make the whole concept of God and spirituality more real.

Outside the Cathedral, the rows at St Werburghs Street display their goods as usual, a marked contrast from the famous ancient structure of Chester.

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

The American SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) was marketed by the American politicians to sound like it was doing the public a favour -- stopping pirates (think one-eye-patched robbers of the seven seas) from their online activities.

After all, it was Hollywood and some of the big music labels who were affected by the user-to-user sharing. Such a travesty of human rights. Not.

It wasn't the end of free distribution of copyright material that most people objected to.

It was the way the government was trying to nail potential wrong-doers down. Anyone could have been a suspect based on various degrees of involvement.

Very much like Section 114A which we protested yesterday.

The SOPA was shelved, in spite of the subtle way it was portrayed. Americans, God bless their souls, could spot the potentially nefarious invasion of privacy.

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Section 114A, otherwise known as Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012, was passed by Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara in April this year and was gazetted on 31st July by de facto law Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The amendment has raised concerns from many parties such as lawyers, activists and Internet-based businesses.

Under Section 114A, an Internet user is deemed the publisher of any online content unless proven otherwise.

It also makes individuals and those who administer, operate or provide spaces for online community forums, blogging and hosting services, liable for content published through its services.

This presumption of guilt goes against a fundamental principle of justice – innocent until proven guilty -- and disproportionately burdens the average person who may not have the resources to defend himself in court.

For more information about the Internet Blackout Day and to take part in the campaign, please visit:

Friday, 3 August 2012

The Toastmasters International 82nd Annual International Convention will take place from 20-23 August 2014 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the country’s premier convention facility.

Following an extensive selection process, Kuala Lumpur has been selected by Toastmasters International for the first International Convention to be held outside of North America in the organisation’s 88-year history.

The Toastmasters International 82nd Annual International Convention will take place from 20-23 August 2014 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the country’s premier convention facility. The four-day meeting is expected to gather more than 2,000 delegates from across the globe at the milestone event that will feature keynote presentations, skills-building seminars, election of the International Board of Directors, gala dinners and a host of networking opportunities.

Mr Daniel Rex, Executive Director, Toastmasters International in a statement released on 25 June 2012 said, the selection of Kuala Lumpur reflects the global nature of the organisation as well as its evolving membership. “More than 30% of all Toastmasters now live outside North America, with the greatest area of membership growth in Southeast Asia.”

Comparing Kuala Lumpur with the organisation, Mr Rex said that like Toastmasters International, Kuala Lumpur celebrates diversity and is a melting pot of races and religions. “The city is safe and clean and her people, notably friendly. Millions from around the world visit every year as evidenced by the nearly 80 international meetings held there last year (2011).”

Datuk Peter Brokenshire, General Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, said Toastmasters International’s decision to hold its 82th Annual International Convention in 2014 in Malaysia is an honour for the country, Kuala Lumpur city and the Centre. “We are pleased that our investment in the US market via participation in relevant trade shows is starting to pay dividend. Slowly but surely, our message about what Malaysia has to offer the US meetings industry is getting heard.”

Datuk Brokenshire assured that, as with every event; big or small, international or local, held at the Centre, “we are committed to delivering a world-class experience for both organiser and participants and we look forward to working with Toastmasters International to make their first international convention outside of the US a success. Undoubtedly, their success is our success.”

For 2012 and 2013, among the notable US-based association-organised events to be held at the Centre are the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) 2012 and Women Deliver Conference 2013.

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organisation boasts over 300,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Since its inception in 1924, it has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience.

I will concede that no one likes having their private matters being made public.

Certainly not people who have made a lot of money.

And more so, people who have made that money from dubious and/or corrupt practices.

NFCorp, and by extension, UMNO is livid that its reputation has been tarnished yet again.

I don't know why UMNO should be upset really. They don't have much of a reputation for being anything other than corrupt and greedy thieves.

Finding a legitimate issue to smear their name is no challenging feat at all.

Unlike the case of Teoh Beng Hock, who I personally believe had not committed any dubious practice at all and had to be fatally threatened in wild attempts to get him to confess to something he had not remotely done.

They dropped the poor fellow and wondered how to explain away a dead body at Plaza Masalam, that of a man who was due to be married that very day.

Incidentally, no one has been charged for his murder, which is far more grave an issue than exposing confidential banking details of corrupt companies.

How about Altantuya? Who has been held responsible for her death? Surely not a couple of commandos who did not know her from Adam (or Eve)?